The present invention relates to the application of advertisements to the outer surfaces of eggs. The invention relates to a completely new concept in the field of advertising. There are at present many mediums of advertising such as ads in newspapers, on television and radio, as well as billboards and the like, but the invention contemplates the utilization of a new medium, namely eggs which are sold at the retail level in grocery stores and supermarkets to the public at large.
Advertisements may be applied to the outer surfaces of eggs in such a manner as to be readily visible to persons buying the eggs. The advertisements are applied to precise areas of the egg so as to provide maximum exposure and to afford the most beneficial viewing angle. Eggs are usually sold in paperboard cartons and are supported therein so that the long axis of each of the eggs is disposed substantially vertically. Accordingly, by properly locating the advertisement on the egg, each time a person opens the carton, the advertisement will immediately catch the person's eye. Obviously, each time a person picks up an egg from the carton, the advertisement will be seen. Therefore, the advertisement is carried into the homes of customers and each egg serves as an advertising medium. Eggs are consumed by large numbers of people, and many consume eggs on a daily basis. Accordingly, the advertisements on the eggs will reach a large public with great frequency.
Advertisements applied to eggs may be in colors and otherwise made to be as artistically attractive as possible. Different advertisements may be applied to different eggs in the same carton, if desired. The advertisement may also extend around the egg if so desired and may consist of multiple lines of print or the like. Furthermore, any desired spacing may be provided between various portions of the advertisement.
It should be understood that whereas the invention is directed to the application of advertisements to the outer surfaces of eggs, it may also be utilized for applying any suitable message or information on eggs.
Prior art arrangements have been provided for applying information to the outer surfaces of eggs, such as the grade of the egg or dating information. This information has been applied using a stamping process or a non-impact process such as an ink jet set to apply information to eggs moving on the conveyor of a grading machine. However, the manner in which such processes are utilized in the prior art are not suitable for applying advertisements to an egg.
When placing information such as grade or dating information on eggs, this function is carried out because of governmental regulations, and it is not important to accurately locate the information on the outer surface of the egg. Accordingly, prior art methods do not ensure that the information is provided on a precise area of each of the eggs. On the other hand, as discussed above, it is important that advertisements be applied to precise areas of the eggs.
Additionally, when grade or dating information is applied to eggs, quality is not important, and relatively poorly displayed information is acceptable. However, when advertisements are applied to eggs, it is essential that the quality be as high as possible.
Prior art arrangements for applying information to eggs apply the information to all eggs passing through an egg handling machine, whereas when applying advertisements, it is desirable to sort the eggs so as to apply the advertisements only to certain eggs, while the remaining eggs are utilized for other purposes.